Missing Dog Found Beheaded At Atlanta Home: Reports

ATLANTA, GA — A dog that was beheaded, prompting a SWAT standoff Wednesday night at an Atlanta home, disappeared from its owner over a year ago, the woman told WXIA-TV.

Officers responded to Illinois Avenue Northwest and Joseph E. Boone Boulevard in response to a "barricaded subject," Fulton County Police said.

Animal Services officers were on scene to execute a search warrant relating to an aggravated animal cruelty charge, police said. These officers had been called to the home earlier in the day after receiving a report of a "disturbing beheading of a dog," police said.

They told WXIA-TV a neighbor called 911 after she saw a photo of the dog's head on social media. Sometime after SWAT responded, police said the suspect was taken into custody. Police did not identify the suspect or list charges.

However, a WAGA-TV report identified the suspect as Jalen Wade, 31.

Fulton County Jail records showed Wade was booked on charges of aggravated cruelty to animals and willful obstruction of law enforcement officers Thursday.

The woman who owned the dog, only identified in the WXIA-TV report as Precious, last saw her pet in September 2024, she told reporters. She reportedly said she was told someone took her dog, who was microchipped, and that she searched for the pet for at least a week.

A machete and her dog's body were found on the porch, the news outlet reported.